By John Holland, Chief Content Officer, CustomerCentric Selling®
Vendors and salespeople seem enamored with the word: “Solution.”
In my mind the term is vague, usually misused and a terrible waste of three syllables. Whether in marketing brochures, on websites or during sales calls, the phrase “We’ve/I’ve got the solution for you” seems presumptuous and self-serving.
How many buyers actually believe those statements to be true?
Here’s the logic behind my loathing of this word in what I consider seven (7) reasons why it shouldn’t be used with buyers:
- A solution is an opinion.
- Unless sellers have earned trust nobody values or wants to hear their biased opinions.
- Without asking several questions and getting relevant responses it’s impossible to know if a solution exists.
- Disregarding the previous point, vendors and sellers always feel they offer solutions.
- Sellers hoping to earn commissions should recuse themselves from offering opinions.
- The only person’s opinion that has any relevance is the buyer’s.
- Sellers must have buyers agree their offering is a solution before they can accurately make that claim.
It may be helpful to define the term. Buyers have “solutions” when they:
- Have identified a business outcome they want to achieve
- Understand the barriers that stand in the way of achieving it
- Are able to articulate the specific capabilities they need to achieve the outcome
Buyers don’t like to be told what they need. Many resent seller attempts to force solutions upon them. In the best case buyers will discount whatever claims sellers make as they’ve come to expect hype.
Remember: The only person who can call your offering a solution is the buyer. Your job as a seller is to help connect the dots in getting them there.
